Welcome to the online home of Audra Jennings, a book publicist and crafter. Here I share about both. I hope you'll find books you'll want to read and crafts you will want to order. I live a rather boring, single life. At times I would like to think I am humorous. The kids I teach in Bible class tend to think so. I also blog about current seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. I don't know why, I just do.

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Thursday, June 6, 2013

Not Quite Healed... Hope for Male Survivors of Childhood Abuse

Shouldn’t
I be healed by now?

In Not Quite Healed, childhood sexual abuse survivors

Cecil
Murphey and Gary Roe offer hope and

encouragement to men on the journey of
recovery

Survivors of sexual abuse face a long road to recovery, a journey in which
they often ask, “Shouldn’t I be there by now?” Having faced the recovery
process themselves, Cecil Murphey and Gary Roe, in Not Quite Healed: 40 Truths for
Male Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse (Kregel Publications/March 8, 2013/ISBN
978-0825442704/$14.99), honestly and openly assure fellow survivors that healing
is a process, which by definition means it doesn’t happen quickly—but it will
happen.

“I wish I could say I’m totally healed, but that would be a lie,” writes
Murphey. “This much I can say: I’m as straightforward and transparent as I’m
capable of being. In the recovery process, I’ve searched relentlessly for total
healing. I don’t know if that labels me quick or slow, truly open or slightly
self-deceived. Some men heal quicker than others do—we know that. But I
challenge the statement of anyone who boasts of total healing from sexual abuse
in eight months or a year. Or even ten years.”

Not only do the authors understand, encourage, explain, relate, and guide
survivors to the path of healing, they shed light on eye-opening truths about
abuse that are beneficial to family, friends and those in ministry. For
example, the majority of survivors of childhood sexual abuse were kids who did
not feel loved by or of value to their parents and sought the attention and
affection of an adult who would show kindness to them. In fact, most
perpetrators of sexual abuse (whether male or female) are adults a child not
only knows, but trusts. Abusers have a keen ability to find and target such
children and take advantage of their vulnerability and innocence.

A victim’s need for love, a sense of abandonment and violation of trust
affects relationships for a lifetime. Most men experience difficulty in
expressing their emotions, and male survivors feel less like real men if they
admit their pain. However, as the writers proclaim, no one heals alone, and
they hope the stories and experiences within Not Quite Healed will give readers strength to face the road ahead.
Murphey and Roe know about struggling to rely on God, living behind a mask,
dealing with flashbacks or wrestling with the need for forgiveness. They dive
deep into the long-term effects of abuse such as pornography addiction,
same-sex attraction, varying degrees of fear and anxiety and other behaviors
spurred on by a need for approval and acceptance.

The authors get to the heart of why childhood sexual abuse impacts its
victims so deeply. “At our core, we’re sexual creatures, male and female. This
is part of being created in the image of God. When others abuse us sexually,
they touch us at the center of our being,” Roe asserts. “Everything becomes
skewed and produces a ripple effect that spreads through our entire personhood.
The abuse alters the way we view ourselves, others, God and life itself.”

Each chapter closes with a self-affirming truth that will carry readers
through the process of real healing. A few of the statements for meditation and
repetition include:

I am not quite healed; I am a healing-in-progress.

I was a needy, innocent child; someone took advantage of
me. I wasn’t bad; something bad was done to me.

Pornography is a substitute for intimacy. I choose to
strive for the real thing.

Despite my attractions and desires, I don’t have to give in
to any wrong impulses.

I’ll never be fully healed if I hide the secrets of my
past. A big step—and a difficult one—is to move out of darkness into light.

Admitting I need help is a sign of humility, not weakness.
Reaching out for help is a sign of courage.

The tools that helped me survive as a child are no longer
the tools I need to enjoy my adult life. Now I can consciously choose my tools.

Cecil Murphey has written
or co-written more than 135 books, including the bestsellers 90 Minutes in Heaven (with Don Piper)
and Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story
(with Dr. Ben Carson). His books have sold in the millions and have brought
hope and encouragement to countless people around the world.

Murphey
stays busy as a professional writer and travels extensively to speak on topics
such as writing, spiritual growth, caregiving, significant living, sexual
abuse, and recovery. Prior to launching his career as a full-time writer and
speaker, he served as pastor in Metro Atlanta, as a volunteer hospital chaplain
for ten years, and was a missionary in Kenya for six. He currently lives
in the Atlanta,
GA area.

Gary Roe has been in
full-time ministry for more than thirty years, serving as a college minister, a
missionary in Japan, and a pastor in Texas and Washington.
He currently works as a chaplain and interim pastor in central Texas. He writes a weekly newspaper column and is
coauthor (also with Cecil Murphey) of Saying
Goodbye: Facing the Loss of a Loved One. He has three adopted daughters
from Colombia who are also abuse
survivors.

Need a publicist for your Christian book?

About Me

Audra is a publicist who promotes books and writes about other people for a living. She's also a hermit who spends way too much time within the walls of her home since her office is just upstairs.

When she's not trying to get you to read a variety of books, she's probably watching too much reality TV or annoying her Facebook friends with pictures of crochet and other craft projects.

You can find Audra on her blog, posting rants about something (it's not her neighbors anymore) and other meaningless nonsense (www.audrajennings.com), or on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram where she never fails to make snarky remark.

My ridiculously long FTC disclaimer

In accordance with the FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, please note that I have not received payment for any of the reviews posted on this blog.

I am employed both a freelance publicist and a publicist for a publisher and do post press releases, interviews and blog tours for the books and/or products I represent. However, I post on my blog by choice.

When I do post reviews for books that I have been sent review copies of by publishers, I will note that on posts.

On occasion, I also buy books and read and review them for enjoyment too.